A Savory Roasted Root Vegetable and Goat Cheese Tart

Here it is -- hot out of the oven!  A Savory Roasted Root Vegetable and Goat Cheese Tart!  I used roasted sweet potatoes, beets, and yellow gold potatoes as the root vegetable toppings.  You can choose any combination of root vegetables you prefer.  It is the perfect mid-winter meal--pretty enough for company and so healthy.

I love the flavor of roasted vegetables, as I find the high oven heat brings out their natural sweetness. To roast, heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Wash, peel and slice the root vegetables and then slice them thinly--about 1/4 inch. You can use a micro plane if you have one to do this task or just eyeball it using a good knife and cutting broad. Spread some olive oil on your baking sheets and place slices on the pan. Roast about 10 minutes on one side, and then turn them over with a fork and continue roasting another 5 to 10 minutes. The vegetables are done when they are fork tender. Total time will depend on how hot your oven is and how thinly you sliced your vegetables. For this recipe, I would not crisp the vegetables too much in the pre-cook.

I find the most time-consuming part of making tarts is the crust--I usually prepare and pre-bake them the day before.  I love Williams Sonoma's cornmeal tart crust (recipe below), or you can use your favorite pie crust or frozen prepared pie crust or even puff pastry. Adjust the recipe accordingly. The roasted vegetables and goat cheese combination taste terrific with any crust you desire!

 Roasted Root Vegetable and Goat Cheese Tart

Cornmeal Dough: (adapted from Williams Sonoma)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground cornmeal
Salt
6 tablespoon unsalted butter cut into slices
One egg, slightly beaten
Ice cold water

To make the dough in food processor, combine the flour and cornmeal and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add butter slices and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg and 1/4 cup cold water and pulse just until the dough comes together. Remove dough from the food processor and flatten into a disc, and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate one hour or up to two days.

When cooled, roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface into a circle, about 1/8 inch thick and an inch or so larger than your tart pan.  Place dough over the tart pan and press down to fit.  Fold back extra dough to reinforce the tart edges. Refrigerate again at least 30 minutes.

Position a rack in the lower third of your oven and preheat to 400 degrees F

Line the cooled tart shell with parchment paper and pie weights, (or dried beans), and place on a baking sheet and bake until set, about 20 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment paper and continue to bake until the shell is lightly golden about five more minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool completely before adding filling.

Roasted Root Vegetable Topping

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Wash, peel and thinly slice root vegetables, approximately 1/4 inch thick. Pat dry I used two large sweet potatoes, three large beets, and two large yellow gold potatoes for this recipe.
Spread a thin layer of olive oil on your roasting pans. I use a separate pan for each vegetable, as they may finish cooking at different times.
Place vegetable slices in one layer on pans and place pans in hot oven
Roast 10 minutes, remove pans from oven and turn each slice over and return pans to the oven for another 5 -10 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork tender and crisping on edges. You should also rotate the pans position to different racks in the oven, at this time, to ensure even roasting.
Remove pans from oven and allow vegetables to cool on wire racks

Goat Cheese Filling: (adapted from Williams Sonoma)

Two eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
One tablespoon fresh or dried chopped herbs such as rosemary and thyme
Three ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, salt, pepper, 1/4 nutmeg, and the one tablespoon of chopped herbs.  Pour into the cooled tart shell. Sprinkle on the crumbled goat cheese as evenly as possible. Layer the cooled, pre-roasted vegetables on top, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and dried herbs as desired.

Bake until the tart is dark golden around the edges and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. The tart can be served warm or at room temperature. Serves 6 to 9, depending on the size of your slices.

A savory tart like this is perfect for a brunch, lunch or buffet. Sliced thin it can be an elegant appetizer, sliced more generously it makes a wonderful dinner entree if accompanied by bread and salad. It's a wonderful way to serve your root vegetables with a flair, and I hope you enjoy it!

Looking at my tart, and seeing all the orange color in it, I am reminded that this Sunday is the Superbowl! You know I will be rooting for the Denver Broncos to win! The buffalo outside the History Colorado Center will certainly be wearing its orange Broncos shirt, and all of Colorado will be yelling "Go Broncos!"

Won't you join us?